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It is thought to be the first time that a virtual open house has been staged.

Viewers of the property will not have to physically visit the two-bed apartment in Hackney, London, but will be able to “see” the property on the agent’s Facebook page with the help of Virtual Walkthrough technology, and have their questions answered in real time.

The agent is SellMyHome.co.uk, an online business co-founded by former Knight Frank estate agent Will Clark.

The property is listed on SellMyHome at £550,000 and today’s Facebook “open house” at midday is due to be followed by a “real” open house tomorrow.

Clark said: “The Facebook open house marks a significant turning point for the property market.

“It’s no longer a question of if, but when, the industry will become fully digitalised, and it’s our duty to our clients to make sure that we’re ahead of the game.

“In today’s time-poor society, customers have been crying out for a way to cut down the hours spent on the business of property viewings. You can pay your bills, book a holiday, or even get a date online, and we’ve had a real demand for the same flexibility when it comes to viewing properties.

“From a vendor’s perspective, this new technology is a dream come true. The owners of our flagship project haven’t a moment to spare to show every single prospective buyer around their home, and the buyers don’t have time to view it. This digital solution really does work for everyone.”

He said the property is owned by a professional couple with a young child, and they “represent a growing majority of vendors looking to fit the sales process into their everyday life, whilst also making the significant cost saving of selling through an online agent”.

He added: “This matches with the demographic of first-time buyers in Hackney and wider London, who struggle to take the time out of hectic schedules to visit numerous properties.”

The Virtual Walkthough technology here is supplied to a number of agents, including Jackson Stops, Beauchamp Estates, and Douglas & Gordon.

snazzy, but, we have over 1000 applicants on the data base here at Jonnie & Co and while this social media thing is all very nice there has to be a question mark over an applicant who cant be fagged with coming to have a proper look? – Jonnie